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Oregon Zoo

	Oregon Zoo
	4001 SW Canyon Road
	Portland, OR 97231
	Phone: 503-226-1561


Visit Oregon Zoo Website	Email: Click here
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In 1887, Richard Knight, a local pharmacist who collected animals as a hobby, officially presented his menagerie to the city and the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi was created. The Oregon Zoo is home to animals from all corners of the world, including Asian elephants, Peruvian penguins and Arctic polar bears. From the mist-filled Africa Rain Forest to the majestic Great Northwest exhibits, the zoo encourages visitors to understand and experience the natural world. Committed to conservation of endangered species and their habitats—both locally and around the globe—the zoo is a center for wildlife preservation and field research.

The Oregon Zoo’s award-winning education programs serve nearly 700,000 people both at the zoo and at schools, senior and community centers around the region. A summer concert series, seasonal events and the zoo railway help this popular Oregon attraction draw more than one million visitors each year. The Oregon Zoo is all of this, but it is also a safe place for families to share moments of discovery and fun.

The Washington Park Zoo, as it was then called, celebrated its 100th birthday in 1987. From its humble beginnings in the back of a pharmacy in downtown Portland to its prominence as the leading paid attraction in the state of Oregon, the zoo has seen a multitude of changes.

Born out of his love for animals, Richard Knight, a former seaman turned pharmacist, began collecting animals from his seafaring friends. Knight kept his collection in the back of his drug store on Third & Morrison streets.

In 1887, Knight officially presented his collection to the city. The collection was moved to City Park (present water reservoir site at Washington Park) and Portland's first zoo was created. Park keeper Charles Meyers constructed the first sunken, barless cage in the world to house grizzly and Alaskan bears.

The zoo collection grew to 300 specimens, mostly from North America.

Today as a landmark and a apart of history the Oregon Zoo welcomes you it's friends and family to discover the Zoo as a tourist and you will be amazed at thw knowledge you gain from one visit.

Inspiring our community to create a better future for wildlife"

Earth Friendly Operations

Because we care so much about animals and their habitats, we try to serve as a model for earth-friendly operations. Each year, the Oregon Zoo's Green Team assembles new sustainability resolutions using suggestions from staff members. The Green Team is a committee comprised of employees and volunteers representing many of the zoo's departments. With the goal of making the zoo a great environmental ambassador, we areconstantly looking for ways to improve our practices.

Energy Efficiency -

Sub-meters have been installed throughout the zoo to determine where the consumption of water, natural gas and electricity is low and where it needs to improve.

Timers and sensors have been installed in service areas and we switched to compact fluorescent lights to help lower our energy usage.

We also started a “Power Down” campaign in our administrative buildings. The reminders are simple but effective: stickers that say “Power Down” on light switches in areas with infrequent use, like bathrooms, that remind people to shut off the lights when they are done.

Also, our administrative computers have been placed on an automatic shutoff system, so that they are on only during business hours.

Memberships are available

The Oregon Zoo Foundation is a nonprofit membership organization that offers special benefits, including free admission to the zoo and 125 reciprocal zoos across the country. The Foundation supports the zoo through membership drives, fundraising activities, promotions, the ZooParent sponsor program, and the annual ZooLaLa gala. Zoo members hail from towns, cities and villages throughout Oregon, from Klamath Falls to Astoria and from Pendleton to North Bend. Become a member

The zoo is committed to providing the best possible facility for its animals as well as the community. A comprehensive plan, "A Great Zoo: Framework for the Future," examines the entire zoo, and incorporates the vision, "Caring Now for the Future of Life," into each department's goals for the next 25 years and beyond. The building master plan balances animals, natural habitats, native culture, technology, plantings, and innovative architecture. As always, the zoo will continue to be a source of discovery and fun that allows visitors to understand and experience the natural world and our place in it.

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